Quick lockable tilting hoist tackle

ABSTRACT

Two separate sling lines (13, 14) have inner end portions secured to a drum (6 or 6&#39;) mounted in a block (2 or 2&#39;) and are wound in opposite senses around the drum. The block is adapted to be connected to a hoist and the free end portions (15) of the sling lines are adapted to be connected to a load at spaced locations. During or after lifting the load by use of the hoist, the drum can be rotated to haul in one sling line while automatically paying out the other and thereby tilt the load. Mechanism (10, 12 or 8&#39;, 30, 35) is provided for locking and unlocking the drum relative to the block.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application is a continuation-in-part of my U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 867,186, filed Apr. 25, 1986, which issued as U.S. Pat. No.4,684,162 on Aug. 4, 1987.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to tackle acting as an adjustable sling connectedbetween a conventional hoist and a load to be lifted and allowing theload to be tilted and maintained in the tilted position.

BACKGROUND ART

When lifting a load with a hoist and a sling, it is sometimes desirableor required to tilt the load, such as when removing or installing theengine of a vehicle, which can require changing the attachment of thehoist to the sling.

Ehrhardt U.S. Pat. No. 3,391,957, issued July 9, 1968, discloses a"Universal Hoisting Fixture" in which the central portion of a singlesling line is wound on a drum and the free ends of the line areconnected to the load to be lifted. The drum can be turned for tiltingthe load. Prior to lifting the load the loose coils of sling line maybecome crossed or bind against each other on the frame supporting thedrum making it difficult to rotate the drum. In addition, as the drum isrotated the coils of sling line have a tendency to progress toward aside of the frame and can exert substantial side pressure on the frame.Further, only the weight of the load tightening the coils on the drumdeters the line from slipping relative to the drum, and in an extremetilted position the load can slip toward a more horizontal position.

Other types of hoist tackle in which a sling line is wound on a drum areshown in: Caldwell U.S. Pat. No. 2,356,147, issued Aug. 22, 1944, PridyU.S. Pat. No. 2,617,677, issued Nov. 11, 1952, Morith U.S. Pat. No.2,620,218, issued Dec. 2, 1952, Young U.S. Pat. No. 3,254,913, issuedJune 7, 1966, Tattoo et al. GB patent No. 1,576,311, published Oct. 8,1980, and Khark SU patent No. 1096187, issued June 7, 1984.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The tilting hoist tackle in accordance with the present inventionincludes a drum rotatably mounted in a block adapted to be connected toa conventional hoist and, preferably, two separate sling lines each withone end portion fitted through a slot in the drum and knobbed to securesuch line end portion to the drum. The sling lines are wound in oppositesenses around the drum and their free end portions are adapted to beconnected at spaced locations to the load to be lifted Mechanism isprovided for locking the drum relative to its block and, with thelocking mechanism released, the drum can be rotated to haul in one slingline while paying out the other so as to tilt the load, whereupon thelocking mechanism can be actuated to maintain the load in its tiltedposition One or more guide plates are provided to prevent the coils ofsling lines from crossing or riding up on each other. The tackle is ofsimple and inexpensive construction, in compact form and easy to use,yet rugged and reliable for repeated use over a long period.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective of tilting hoist tackle in accordance withthe present invention with some parts shown in exploded relationship andsome parts deleted;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevation of the tilting hoisttackle of FIG. 1 in assembled condition, and FIG. 3 is a somewhatdiagrammatic end elevation thereof with parts broken away;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, transverse section of thetilting hoist tackle of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3,.a d FIG. 5 is a furtherenlarged fragmentary, vertical transverse section thereof;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation of the tilting hoisttackle of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 with parts broken away, and FIG. 7 is ahorizontal section along line 7--7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top perspective of a second form of tilting hoist tackle inaccordance with the present invention with some parts shown in explodedrelationship and some parts deleted;

FIG. 9 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevation of the tilting hoisttackle of FIG. 8 in assembled condition, and FIG. 10 is a somewhatdiagrammatic end elevation thereof with parts broken away;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical, transverse section of thetilting hoist tackle of FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. and FIG. 12 is an enlargedfragmentary end elevation of the tilting hoist tackle of FIGS. 8, 9 and10 with parts broken away.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the tilting hoist tackle 1 in accordancewith the present invention includes a frame or block 2 havingcomplementary upright cheeks 3. The lower portions of the cheeks aremaintained in spaced parallel relationship by a horizontal bottom crossplate 4 and an arcuate top cross plate 5 welded to the facing surfacesof the cheeks. The upper end portions of the cheeks are bent inward andare spot-welded together.

The drum 6 or the tackle is journaled in registered holes 7 in the lowerportions of the cheeks between the two cross plates 4 and 5. The drumhas a circular end plate 8 of a diameter greater than the holes 7 tolimit insertion of the drum in its block. At the opposite end portion ofthe drum from its end, plate 8, the drum has an annular groove 9 for asnap ring 9' to prevent withdrawal of the drum from its block

A U-shaped drum clamp 10 is fitted over the bottom cross plate 4 withits downward-projecting legs 11 preventing separation of the clamp fromthe tackle block after the drum is inserted Clamp legs 11 extend alongthe opposite ends of the bottom cross plate 4 and also guide the platefor up-and-down movement toward and away from the bottom of the drum. Anupright lock bolt 12 is threaded upward through the bottom cross plate 4so that its upper end portion bears against the web of clamp 10 which isarcuate to approximate the curvature of the drum

Each of two separate sling lines 13 and 14 has one end portion securedto the drum 6. The free end portions of the sling lines carry connectingplates 15 with eyes 16 allowing them to be conveniently secured to theload to be lifted such as to the opposite end portions of a vehicleengine to be removed or installed.

As best seen in FIG. 6, preferably the inner end portions of sling lines13 and 14 are secured to the drum 6 adjacent to the opposite cheeks 3,respectively Each line is wound on the drum at least one and one-halfrevolutions from an end portion of the drum toward the longitudinalcenter of the drum For maximum strength and longevity of the lines,short narrow tabs 17 of the drum are punched inward to form narrow slots18 through which the inner end portions of the lines can be threaded.The ends of the lines projecting inside of the drum are knobbed bycrimped ferrules 19 of a diameter larger than the slots 18.

Preferably, each tab 17 is gradually curved inward with its inner endportion defining an acute angle of, preferably, about 45 degreesrelative to a tangent of the drum in the area of the tab so that, asbest seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, there is minimal bending of the inner endportion of the line. In addition, each tab is concave in cross sectionto fit closely over the periphery of its line adjacent to thecorresponding ferrule. The outer side of each tab is approximatelyaligned with the inner side of the adjacent cheek leaving an unpunchedstructural joining section of the drum extending along the tab, and thetabs are spaced apart axially of the drum a distance at least equal to amultiple of the line diameter, and the tabs and their slots are spacedapart slightly circumferentially of the drum, so as not to affect thestructural integrity of the drum. In the central position of the drumshown r.n the drawings where the free end portions of the lines 13 and14 are of the same length, each line is wrapped around the drumprecisely the same number of revolutions.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the top cross plate 5 is circular through anangle of more than 90 degrees, preferably about 120 degrees, and extendsclosely over the top of the drum from the locations of departure of thefree end portions of the sling lines from the drum. Such plate acts asan arcuate guide and is spaced from the outer periphery of the drum adistance no greater than one and one-half times the line's diameter sothat, with reference to FIG. 6, adjacent coils of line cannot cross oreven ride up to a position where one coil is wedged between the plateand the adjacent coil Returning to FIG. 4, each of the open spacesbetween the ends of plate 5 and the ends of clamp 10 should encompass nomore than 90 degrees of the drum circumference, preferably no more thanabout 60 degrees, which assures that the sling lines will not bind orcross even when the load is released

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper end portions of the cheeks 3have registered apertures 20 forming an eye for convenient attachment toa conventional hoist such as by the hoist hook 21. The connecting plates15 of the lines 13 and 14 are secured to the load to be lifted, such asat the opposite end portions of a vehicle engine. With the drum clamp 10released by unscrewing the lock bolt 12, the drum can be turned to payout one sling line and haul in the other and thereby tilt the load Forthis purpose, the drum end plate 8 has a central square socket hole 22for receiving the standard square projection of a conventional ratchet.With the load tilted to the desired degree, lock bolt 12 is turned toraise clamp 10 so as to bear against the coils of lines 13 and 14 andthereby prevent additional turning of the drum

The modified tilting hoist tackle 1' in accordance with the presentinvention shown in FIGS. 8 through 12 also includes the frame or block2' with complementary upright cheeks 3'. A modified bottom cross plate4' is welded to the facing surfaces of the opposite cheeks 3' and is ofthe same general shape as the clamp 10 of the previously describedembodiment. Plate 4' has an arcuate upper surface closely encirclingabout 80 or 90 degrees of the lower portion of the drum 6' which isfitted in the registered apertures 7.

The drum end plate 8' has radially extending slots 30 spaced uniformlyaround the circumference of the end plate The attachment of the drum 6'to the block 2' and the cables 13 and 14 to the drum are identical tothe attachments used in the previously described embodiment

The arcuate top cross plate 5 of the previously described embodiment isreplaced by two separate but closely adjacent top cross plates 5', eachof generally U-shape. Cross plates 5' have arcuate bottom portions 31closely encircling the upper portion of the drum 6', parallel uprightweb portions 32 and horizontal top portions 33. The arcuate bottomportions 31 closely encircle at least 90 degrees, preferably about 120degrees, of the drum circumference. As seen in FIG. 11, in the modifiedembodiment, as in the earlier described embodiment, there is less than90 degrees, preferably no more than about 60 degrees, of open areabetween adjacent ends of the arcuate portion of the bottom cross plate4' and the top cross plate portion 31 at the same side.

The cheeks 3' have upright slots 34 extending downward from theregistered top apertures 20. Such slots are registered with the narrowspace between the upright web portions 32 of the cross plates 5'. Alocking lever or latch 35 can be fitted in the slots 34 between theguide plate portions 32. Such lever projects in opposite directions fromits central pivot aperture 36 which receives a pin 37 extending betweenthe top plate web portions 32. The opposite sides of the lever 35 aresnugly engaged by washers fitted between such sides and the web portions32.

As best seen in FIG. 10, the opposite ends of lever 35 project beyondthe opposite outer sides of the cheeks 3'. One end portion of the lever,the end shown at the left in FIG. 10, can be moved up or down to swingthe other end portion into or out of whichever radial slot 30 of thedrum end plate 8' is registered with the lever. Preferably the lever issubstantially balanced at opposite sides of its pivot axis and there issufficient frictional engagement with its opposite sides that the leverstays reliably in the position to which it is swung.

Operation of the modified embodiment is identical to operation of thepreviously described embodiment with the exception of the manner inwhich the drum is locked to the block. With the lock lever 35 swung tothe broken line position shown in FIG. 12, the drum can be turned toposition the load at the desired angle, whereupon the lever can be movedto the solid line position shown in FIG. 12 where its hooked end isengaged in one of the slots 30 of the drum end plate 8' to preventrotation of the drum in either direction.

I claim:
 1. Tilting hoist tackle for connection between a hoist and aload to be lifted, characterized by the combination of a drum, a portionof said drum having generally radially extending slots spacedsubstantially uniformly circumferentially of said drum, a block adaptedto be connected to the hoist and mounting said drum for rotation about ahorizontal axis, sling line means wound on said drum and connectable tothe load, and a latch lever pivotally mounted on said block for swingingabout an axis offset from and extending transversely of the axis ofrotation of said drum, said latch lever having a first portion swingablebetween a locking position received in one of said slots so as toprevent rotation of said drum in either sense relative to said block andan unlocked position removed from said slot so as not to interfere withrotation of said drum relative to said block and a second portionprotruding from said block for manual access thereto for swinging ofsaid lever to move its first portion between its locking and unlockedpositions.
 2. The tilting hoist tackle defined in claim 1, in which thelatch lever is frictionally engaged so as to remain in whichever of itslocking and unlocked positions to which it is moved until manually movedtherefrom.
 3. Tilting hoist tackle for connection between a hoist and aload to be lifted, characterized by the combination of a drum, a blockadapted to be connected to the hoist and mounting said drum for rotationabout a horizontal axis, said block including opposite upright cheeksand two cross plates extending between said cheeks and having generallyradially extending web portions disposed in substantially parallelrelationship, sling line means wound on said drum and connectable to theload a portion of said drum having generally radially extending slotsspaced substantially uniformly circumferentially of said drum, and alatch lever pivotally mounted on said block between said web portions,said lever having an end portion swingable between a locking positionreceived in one of said slots so as to prevent rotation of said drumrelative to said block and an unlocked position removed from said slotsso as not to interfere with rotation of said drum relative to saidblock.
 4. The tilting hoist tackle defined in claim 3, in which thelatch lever is frictionally engaged between the web portions so as toremain in whichever of its locking and unlocked positions to which it ismoved until manually moved herefrom.